SPRINGDALE — Work is continuing on plans for three new fire stations, but progress has stalled because of problems with the locations for the stations.
“Sometimes it’s one step forward and two steps back,” said Mayor Doug Sprouse. “That’s what we have here.”
Plans call for three fire stations to be built with money from a bond sale.
The location of the new Station No. 7 has been settled, said Fire Chief Mike Irwin. The city bought land on Har-Ber Avenue west of Hellstern Middle School, said Wyman Morgan, city director of administration and financial services. The City Council approved buying the 2.1 acres for $230,000 May 28.
At A Glance
Springdale Fire Department
The department serves a population of 72,000 in 48 square miles from six stations with 114 uniform employees and four civilians. Firefighters responded to 6,207 emergency medical calls in 2012 and 8,042 fire calls. The department has an Insurance Service Organization rating of 2.
Source: Springdale Fire Department
The sites for moving stations No. 2 and No. 3 aren't settled, Sprouse said.
Plans are to move Station No. 2 from Dyer Street to Don Tyson Parkway. Officials looked at several tracts east of the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad tracks. The Tyson family offered to donate land on the north side of the street.
The problem is the cost of site preparation, including moving dirt and moving utilities, Sprouse said. The total could run $800,000 to $900,000, Irwin said.
“That’s a hard pill to swallow, even if the land was given to you,” Sprouse said.
Sewer, electric and a high-pressure natural gas line would have to be moved, Irwin said.
Other sites in the area are being considered, Sprouse said, as are ways to reduce site preparation cost.
Council members agreed to buy 3.4 acres on Thompson Street near Cooper Drive for $180,000 Sept. 10 to move Station No. 3 from Sanders Avenue. However, when geological samples were taken, engineers discovered fill dirt at the site.
The owners knew one end of the property had been a fill site, Sprouse said, but didn’t think the part to be sold had any fill.
The fill wouldn't be good for a building foundation, Sprouse said. Removing the old fill and replacing it with compacted fill could cost up to $200,000, he said.
The sale agreement included a clause allowing the city to back out if the land wasn't suitable, Sprouse said.
Officials are looking at a site on Glass Drive, a private street across Thompson Street from Cooper Drive, Irwin said. The new site would limit the Fire Department’s access to the Razorback Greenway.
The greenway is a 36-mile-long trail that runs from Fayetteville to Bentonville. A section of the trail in Springdale will have limited access, with no cross streets for more than a mile, Irwin said.
Access to the trail from the Thompson Street and Cooper Drive location could have been made at the west end of Cooper, Irwin said. If the new No. 3 is built on the east side of Thompson, firefighters would have to go to a backup plan for trail access, he said.
An all-terrain vehicle for emergency use on the trail could be kept at old Station No. 3, Irwin said. The vehicle could get on the trail at the Sanders Avenue trailhead, he said.
The site near the intersection of Thompson Street and Cooper Drive remains a possibility, Sprouse said.
The city has $8.5 million from the bond sale to buy land and build the stations, Irwin said. The bonds, approved by a city vote, will be repaid by a 1 percent sales tax.
The latest design of the stations is complete, Sprouse said. Each station is estimated to cost $3 million, he said.
“We’ll have to cut the cost of the stations more or come up with money from some other source,” Irwin said. “That will be up to the council.”
Irwin said he would prefer not to reduce the size of the stations. The design, which will be used for all three stations, calls for three bays for vehicles. It also calls for commercial grade construction of the building, he said.
“We want to use these stations for 50 years,” Irwin said. “If we build them smaller we will have to replace the stations sooner.”
The construction grade may be reduced to the residential quality, with wood studs instead of metal, Irwin said.
“We are looking to see how much that would reduce the cost,” Irwin said.
The biggest question remains the sites, Sprouse said.
“We have to get that settled,” Sprouse said. “We’ve had some conversations and think we will have both sites nailed down in a couple of weeks.”